memory 5 Flashcards
Describe the Johnson and Scott (1976) study on anxiety.
The study suggests anxiety has a negative effect on recall. Participants heard an argument in next room. Low anxiety condition: Man walks through with pen and grease on hand. High anxiety condition: Breaking glass sound, and man walks through with paper knife covered in blood. Participants were asked to pick out the man from 50 photographs. Correct was 49% low anxiety and 33% high anxiety. Tunnel theory/weapon focus effect - attention drawn to weapon.
Describe the Yuille and Cutshall (1986) study on anxiety.
The study suggests anxiety has a positive effect on recall. There was a real-life crime - a thief was shot dead. 13 participants were interviewed 4-5 months after the incident. Accounts were compared to police interviews. Witnesses also rated their stress level at the time. Very accurate recall with minor inaccuracies (colours of items, age etc.) Highest reported stress were most accurate (88% compared to 75%).
Explain the contradictory findings of anxiety on eyewitness testimony (EWT).
Inverted U theory - Yerkes and Dodson. Relationship between performance and stress is curvilinear. Deffenbacher (1983) reviewed 21 studies - lower levels of anxiety did produce lower levels of recall. Increases to an optimum level of accuracy and then declines.
Explain a limitation of the Johnson and Scott study on anxiety and eyewitness testimony (EWT).
Participants may focus on weapon due to surprise instead of scared. Pickel (1998) - scissors, handgun, wallet and raw chicken held in a hairdressing salon. EWT higher for unusualness (chicken or handgun). Suggests weapon focus is due to unusualness instead of anxiety.
Explain the limitations of studies into real-life witnesses and anxiety.
Interviews take place sometime after the event. Extraneous variables cannot be controlled e.g. PED. They may discuss the event or view accounts on the media. The extraneous variables may be responsible for the (in)accuracy of recall not anxiety.
Explain the ethical issues concerned with research into eyewitness testimony (EWT) and anxiety.
Creating anxiety may subject people to psychological harm. Real-life studies may be more beneficial as there is no need to create an event. Ethical issues don’t challenge the findings of studies but raise questions about conducting such research.
Explain the limitations of the inverted-U explanation.
Anxiety is difficult to measure - there are many elements: cognitive, behavioural, emotional, physical. Inverted-U assumes only physiological is linked to poor performance. The explanation fails to account for other factors e.g. the emotional experience of the witnesses on memory accuracy.
Describe the impact of demand characteristics on lab studies of anxiety.
Participants know they are watching a filmed crime for a reason. They may work out that they will be asked questions and give responses to be helpful. The research is not measuring the accuracy of EWT. Reduces the validity of the research on anxiety and EWT.
What does Eye Witness Testimony mean?
The ability of people to remember the details of events which they themselves observed.
